Glazed American Donuts

Donuts, or glazed rings, are a sweet delicacy that we have borrowed from the American tradition. Although it is not a typical Italian dessert, I can offer you a recipe to prepare them and maybe add a little Italian touch to the icing. Here’s how to make them:

Ingredients

• 500g of all-purpose flour (00 type)
• 60g of granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 220ml of lukewarm milk
• 50g of melted butter
• 1 packet of dry brewer’s yeast (7g)
• A pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (for an Italian touch)
• Oil for frying

For the icing:

• 200g of powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons of water or milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or a tablespoon of Italian liqueur like Amaretto or Limoncello)

Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix lukewarm milk with brewer’s yeast and a teaspoon of sugar. Let it rest for about 10 minutes until it starts to foam.
2. In another large bowl, sift the flour and add the remaining sugar, salt, and grated lemon zest.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast mixture, the eggs, and the melted butter. Mix the ingredients until a smooth and homogeneous dough is formed.
4. Let the dough rise covered in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in volume.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 1 cm thick. Using a round pastry cutter (and a smaller one to make the hole in the center), cut out the doughnuts.
6. Allow the doughnuts to rise again for another 30-40 minutes.
7. Fry the donuts in hot oil (175 °C) until they turn golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
8. For the icing, mix powdered sugar with water or milk and vanilla extract (or Italian liquor), until you get a smooth mixture. If you prefer, you can divide the icing into different parts and add food coloring to vary the colors.
9. Dip the top of the donuts into the icing and let them dry on a rack.

Curiosity

Did you know that donuts were popularized in the United States by Dutch immigrants? And that during World War I, donuts were handed out to American soldiers to boost their morale? This made them very popular upon the soldiers’ return home, and from there their presence in pastry shops and coffee shops spread all over the world.